What's Mine is Ours
by Cut Throat Sweetheart
Summary: Caroline has a chance to get her old life back. Max gets ready for the goodbye. Maxoline friendship; pre-romance if you like.


Caroline was hopping on one fraying heel when the call came in. She cursed under her breath and yelled "I'm coming!" to her phone as it obnoxiously blared about its milkshake into the empty living room. A few seconds later, Caroline jogged out of the bathroom in her diner apron towards the intrusive device and breathlessly answered.

"Hello?...Yes?...What?...How?...Wow, okay. When?"

At that moment, Max came walking in the door triumphantly with a brand new toothbrush in tow. She'd had no plans to replace her old one, but last night Caroline informed her that a toothbrush wasn't supposed to look like a paintbrush, and Max figured two years for an item that cost a dollar might have been long enough to wait.

Max gave her new purchase a home on the bathroom sink and came out to see her roommate standing there, phone in hand and eyes wide.

"Whoa there, who was on the phone? IRS? Ex-boyfriend? Test results? Is it supergonorrhea? Don't touch me if it is!"

"No, Max. It was some lawyer. They got my father out of prison," Caroline said flatly.

Max furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head. "No really, you're actually just pregnant, right?"

"I don't know how he even got a lawyer, he had no money and everyone hates him! One of those corporate suckups that was always trying to get close? I don't know, whatever. But he must have been one of those real anti-justice crusaders because he found some loophole that placed doubt on my father's culpability and his plea bargain was accepted." Caroline pursed her lips together. "And the court unfreezed our assets."

"Wait. Does that mean you have your gazillions of dollar back?" Max asked, holding her hand out like a stop sign.

"Yeah," Caroline mused, "I guess it does."

"Hmm." Max thought for a minute, and she felt her face go suddenly pale. She immediately turned away from her friend and began walking towards her bedroom. "I have to get dressed for work," she mumbled.

Caroline watched as the door closed sharply, confused. She didn't expect that kind of reaction from Max. A sarcastic comment about rich privilege, yes. Maybe a self-invitation to run back to the Channing mansion to party it up and get reacquainted with the jacuzzi in Caroline's bathtub. But instead, Max had almost no reaction. And when it came to her, no reaction was a bad reaction.

It didn't make any sense. Max had always said that Caroline didn't belong in her world. That the Goodwill store and fungus-infested rugs were hardly her stomping grounds. That Caroline really belonged in fancy dresses and fake friendships.

So what was her problem now?

"Max? What are you doing?" After a couple of minutes of trying to figure out what had just happened, Caroline knocked on the bedroom door. "Is that really all you have to say?"

"What do you want me to say?" she heard from the other side. "Congratulations? Not like you did anything."

"How about, uh, I'm happy for you? Or yay, you get to see your dad without going through a metal detector? Or like, anything?

A pause. "I'm happy for you. You get to go back to your normal life now," Caroline heard Max said flatly.

_Oh._

"Max, open the door. Please?" Caroline pleaded softly.

She didn't hear any movement, but then a few plodding footsteps preceded the bedroom door opening slowly. Caroline's breath caught in her throat when she saw from the red tinge surrounding steel blue irises that her best friend had started to cry.

Caroline exhaled and took Max's hand, leading her to her bed and sat them both down. Max didn't even seem to fight it, which killed Caroline even a little bit more.

"So your dad can ruin a bunch of peoples' lives and get out on a technicality, but my Uncle Craig's still in nine years later for _one _time accidentally setting a circus tent on fire after taking too many blood pressure pills?" Max stalled.

"Max, do you think I'm going to leave you because I'm getting my money back?" Caroline asked, ignoring her roommate's charming little anecdote.

"Uh, do you think I care where you go? I have like ten blonde Barbie dolls that have been on the Craigslist waiting list since you moved in here."

"Yes, I do think you care," Caroline answered, gesturing at Max's face. "Answer the question."

Max rolled her eyes and started gently clawing at the sheets beneath her fingers. "Well, I would leave me. Fancy bath salts and five-star chefs or roaches in the sink and questionable week-old Velveeta? No contest, bro."

"No you wouldn't. Because you're a good person. A better person than you think you are," Caroline replied. "And you know what? Three years ago, you would have been right. Had my dad not been convicted at the end, I would've been out of that diner and out of this apartment faster than Oleg takes a shower."

Max let out a puff of breath.

"But so much has changed since then, Max. So much. I'm not the same person, and somehow you're not the same person. We've gone from two separate individuals whose lives would never have crossed to the team that's overcome more than anyone's fair share of setbacks. Max, I don't think I could imagine my life without you in it anymore," Caroline continued, as her eyes began to water. "Oh god, I'm such a mush."

"Yeah, you've always been soft," Max snorted.

"I'm soft but I'm also honest!" Caroline asserted. "I don't want high society back, Max! I wouldn't mind a nicer wardrobe and an apartment in which humans are the only animal tenants, but I don't want to be a member of the bourgeoisie anymore. My life isn't there anymore. My life is with you and our dream, Max. My life is with my best friend and partner. That is, if she's willing to be seen with a rich girl like me."

Max smiled slightly. "Maybe if you buy me that black dress I wore for Martha I'll consider it." Caroline laughed. "I don't want to live without you either," Max admitted. "Actually, I don't want to live with you, but I can't live without you."

"I think I can make that deal," Caroline conceded, then paused. "You know what? Buy the dress yourself."

"Oh sure, I don't need this kidney. Really, you can't spare that from your newly reclaimed millions?"

"No, I mean I want to put some of my trust fund in our joint account. That money is for us now. You've been taking care of me since we met and it's time I paid it back."

"I _think_ you may be overestimating how much I've given you."

Caroline smiled. "You've given me everything Max. And by now, it's going to take a lot more than money for you to get rid of me."

Max grinned sheepishly and looked down. "Damn, I was so sure I had it this time."

Caroline shook her head and giggled. "Max, you look like you want a hug."

"I do."


End file.
